Just a shade more than 24 hours before the third India vs Australia Test match in Indore, a few of the cricketers from both sides were hooked to the action taking place thousands of kilometres away in Wellington. It was a morning to remember for Test lovers across the globe. India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne were certainly among them. They spent their Tuesday morning watching New Zealand register a dramatic, thrilling, one-for-the-ages, come-from-behind 1-run victory in the second Test against England.
During the recent Test match, England required only two runs when James Anderson was dismissed by Neil Wagner, who was assisted by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell’s diving catch. The game bore similarities to the famous tied match between India and Australia in Chennai in 1986. However, the ending resembled the 2005 Edgbaston Test between England and Australia, where Steve Harmison claimed Michael Kasprowicz’s wicket through a leg-side strangle. The only difference was that England’s margin of victory was one run greater.
And of course, the Wellington 2023 Test match also joined the historic list of victories after being asked to follow on. New Zealand became the third team after England and India to win a Test after following on. England have done it twice against Australia – in 1894 in Sydney and in 1981 in Leeds while India had beaten Australia in 2001 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This was the first instance of any team other than Australia losing a Test after enforcing a follow-on.
Ashwin, a keen observer of cricket all across the globe, touched on almost all the points in his series of tweets.
“What a test match,” wrote Ashwin before quickly drawing similarities with the Madras Test. “37 years on from Madras 1986, are we witnessing a tied test??” he wrote.
After Wagner removed Anderson, Ashwin recalled the Edgbaston Test. “My bad! A repeat of the Edgbaston 2005 ashes test. A win by 2 runs and a strangle down the leg side to dismiss the last man,” he wrote. An admirer of detailing, Ashwin, added the difference of victory margins in another tweet. “Win by 1 and not 2.”
“No better game in the world than Test cricket. What a finish!!!” wrote Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne.
Chasing a target of 258 runs, England were all out for 256 as the two-Test series finished 1-1.
“Amazing achievement, hats off to everyone, everyone kept fighting,” said Wagner, who finished with 4-62.
“That’s the characteristics of this team, they (England) played well — credit where it’s due — but we found a way of contributing.”
England skipper Ben Stokes was disappointed to have lost but happy to have played his part in the drama.
“That game is what Test cricket is about — the emotions we were going through and the Kiwi boys as well,” he said.
England were on course for victory after declaring their first innings on 435-8, then bowling out New Zealand for 209.
Former skipper Kane Williamson dragged New Zealand back into the Test with a superb 132 in their second-innings 483 on Monday, leaving England 258 to win.
Having resumed at 48-1, England wobbled Tuesday morning by losing four wickets for just 27 runs before Joe Root steadied the ship by steering his team to 168-5 at lunch.
As England chipped away at their target, Root’s vital partnership with Stokes ended on 121 when England’s captain was caught at square leg off Wagner.
The pressure on England intensified dramatically after Root went for 95, also to a Wagner short ball, with England still 57 runs short.
Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes kept England in the fight with a cavalier 35, surviving a dropped catch by Michael Bracewell before clubbing three fours to the boundary.
But Foakes was caught by key man Wagner in the deep off Tim Southee, leaving last pair James Anderson and Jack Leach still needing seven runs for victory.
